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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Shortelise on January 11, 2005, at 12:38:05
Today I have a migraine. My first in ... weeks. Oh, I see from the calendar I have forgotten to change my HRT patch, should have done that Sunday. Ejit me. I don't know it that is the "cause", there is rarely a good reason for a migraine, like there is rarely a good reason for any not-understood neurological disorder.
Just a whine, no need to respond. I've taken my meds and now I just have to wait and see if they are going to work, or if I am going to have to take another dose.
But my day is kaput, even if the meds work. A migraine takes my day away. Tomorrow will be better.
Thanks for listening.
ShortE
Posted by partlycloudy on January 11, 2005, at 14:11:38
In reply to Migraine whine, posted by Shortelise on January 11, 2005, at 12:38:05
What do you take for it? I get hormone-related migraines too and get caught sometimes. I swear by Maxalt and agree that you might as well just go home when you get hit with a migraine.
(Thanks for your input on my pain thread above. I hit the wrong button and lost my post and I'm too darned lazy to type it in again....)
Posted by Shortelise on January 11, 2005, at 14:23:23
In reply to Re: Migraine whine, posted by partlycloudy on January 11, 2005, at 14:11:38
I take Zomig rapidmelt. It sometimes takes two doses, but more often than not, now that I am on HRT and Celexa, one dose is enough.
Do you know http://www.migrainepage.com/ ? It's a great spot to talk about migs and treatments. The general population there is not very, how can I put this? They aren't very sensitive to the psyches of the other posters, so it can be a little challenging. But the info can be very good.
You say yours are hormone related. How does that manifest?
ShortE
Posted by partlycloudy on January 11, 2005, at 14:32:29
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » partlycloudy, posted by Shortelise on January 11, 2005, at 14:23:23
If my ovaries are spiking hormone production (I'm in early menopause) and it's unregulated by birth control pills or a patch, I find that I respond to ALL migraine triggers - barometric pressure change, aged foods, anything fermented, exercise, too much sleep, too little sleep... you know the routine? I do get visual auras but sometimes it starts out as pressure and I think it's a sinus headache. Tricky buggers. I suffered terribly during my childhood and teens, then things settled down for 20 years or so. At least I don't puke with them anymore.
pc
Posted by Shortelise on January 12, 2005, at 1:40:57
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » Shortelise, posted by partlycloudy on January 11, 2005, at 14:32:29
Mine started in my 30's, and got worse as my hormone levels got weirder.
When I began to think they were migraines, that is, my doc said they were, I asked him to check my hormone levels as my periods had begun to go wacky, I was having one every other month instead of the regular, every 25 days they had been for 20 years.
The test said hormones were fine, but I still suspected, but didn't know enough about it to understand that I needed to have a series of tests to really know.
Celexa helped a lot. Estrogen and Serotonin, go figure. Then when I couldn't sleep from sweats, and was having MOOD SWINGS, ahem, sorry, I meant mood swings, and went on the hrt patch, the migs have almost gone away.
So, the way I see it, perimenopause started for me in my mid-late 30's. I am now 49. From the age of 39-47, the migs were horrendous, nasty pain that sometimes wouldn't go.
Yes, I know the zillion and one triggers. I have no idea why I got a mig this am, unless I was a little dehydrated, which will do it every time. I'm just not sure. My lips were really dry but my urine wasn't dark.
When you say you are in early menopause, do you mean your periods have stopped early in your life, that you are in the early stages of menopause, or do you mean you are perimenopausal, that you are beginning to notice changes in your cycle?
It must have been awful to have migs when you were young. Hopefully they'll go away again.
About auras, mine are sometimes visual, but more often than not they are physical - my right side gets to hurting, my neck, shoulder, arm, wrist, hip, leg and sometimes even my foot. This pain goes away with meds when the mig goes, though I can have it without getting a mig.
Auras are one of the most interesting things about migraines.
Sorry about the short novel here. I guess I'm in the mood to think about this stuff.
ShortE
Posted by partlycloudy on January 12, 2005, at 6:56:45
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » partlycloudy, posted by Shortelise on January 12, 2005, at 1:40:57
> When you say you are in early menopause, do you mean your periods have stopped early in your life, that you are in the early stages of menopause, or do you mean you are perimenopausal, that you are beginning to notice changes in your cycle?
>
I've been in perimenopuase for 2 years now. The first symptom was the sharp increase in migraines, then my periods went all wonky; they'd last for 3 weeks and were very heavy. That's what started the merry-go-round with birth control pills and patches. Most of the them made the headaches worse! I can't remember what all I have tried. My depression, anxiety and panic all pre-date this phase, and I have tried lots of combinations of different meds. Now I'm on Cymbalta and most recently Trazodone, but that last one should be called "Instant Zombie - Just Add Water". Yuck.> It must have been awful to have migs when you were young. Hopefully they'll go away again.
>
Yes, I hope so. They run on my mum's side of the family, and I have neices and nephews who started young too. Apparently I used to bang my head on the wall when I was a baby (that explains a lot!!!) and it's now thought to have been migraines, too.
The buck stopped with me and my sister, neither of us have had children.I too am fascinated with the auras of migraines. I often get olafactory hallucinations with the visual disturbances.
Posted by Shortelise on January 12, 2005, at 15:44:09
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » Shortelise, posted by partlycloudy on January 12, 2005, at 6:56:45
You have my sympathy with the heavy periods - I was lucky not to go through that.
I used to get the funny smells thing, too. Less now, though I cannot abide strong smells if I am close to having a mig, or getting over one. And sounds. And bright lights - all the usual stuff. But it used to be that I'd smell things that weren't there - either that or my sense of smell got so keen that I could smell things others couldn't. My sense of smell had always been very good, even though I was for a time a smoker.
Anxiety has been mu unwanted companion for years. It wasn't until I got to the point where I couldn't work that I understood I had to deal with it. Looking back, I see times when I was a child where I was overwhlemed with anxiety, and throughout my life, lots and lots of times. Depression, too. It wasn't until I went into therapy six years ago that I began to see it for what it was. It makes me wonder. How could I have neglected to see it before then? I lived in writhing, anxious self-hatred for years.
I am grateful that I don't have to take the heavy meads, and really feel for you.
Hvae you tried vitamin B12? Have you tried any of the migraine diets? The supplements? If you want more info, that site I gave you will have it.
I am still feeling icky today, though I am trying to maintain energy.
Take good care.
ShortE
Posted by not2late4u on January 23, 2005, at 2:41:36
In reply to Re: Migraine whine, posted by Shortelise on January 12, 2005, at 15:44:09
Hi, I just read your posts about migraines. Some information I have read that might help: magnesium - apparently can reduce the intensity and or the frequency or disappear completely. Also, for my pms, I take a progesterone cream and that helps tremendously. I also am almost off effexor and that was contributing to migraines when I exercised. Just some thoughts. Renee
Posted by Shortelise on January 26, 2005, at 0:24:35
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » Shortelise, posted by not2late4u on January 23, 2005, at 2:41:36
Thanks Renee
I tried magnesium - didn't work for me. It is the magic bullet for some, though.
I used to go to a migraine board - Ronda's migraine forum - and learned so much there.Perimenopause symptoms can be treated with natural progesterone cream and my gyn said I was welcome to try it, that many women had excellent results, but that I'd need to be treated by a naturopath to get the proper dose as it's not approved by conventional medicine so he can't deal in it. He did make it very clear that it's important not to "dabble" but to see a qualified ND who can prescribe it and look after me. I decided to go with conventional treatment.
It's funny that Effexor contributed to your migs whereas Celexa has helped mine. It just goes to show how varied the causes and treatments of migs are! I am going to start to go off celexa this summer, so I'll soon find out how much of it was the med, and how much was how it helped me deal with things in therapy.
Thanks again, Renee.
ShortE
Posted by not2late4u on January 26, 2005, at 2:07:20
In reply to Re: Migraine whine » not2late4u, posted by Shortelise on January 26, 2005, at 0:24:35
Hi shortelise~
I dont know much about celexa, if its an anti-depressent, be sure to withdraw slowly if needed. Please check out this website for hormones: http://www.askdrhelen.com/
Good luck and God Bless, Renee
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